AP Psych - Social Psychology

my fav unit from ap psych by far -- good luck on finals!!

social psychology

process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including one’s own, either by crediting the internal or external situation

dispositional attribution

judging based on another’s personality

situational attribution

judged by the circumstances of the situation

fundamental attribution error

tendency to attribute OTHER people’s behavior to CORE CHARACTER rather than to their situation

actor/observer bias

tendency to attribute OUR OWN actions to external, situational causes (blaming the bad weather for scoring badly on test)

attitude

a belief and feeling that predisposes you to respond in a particular way to people, events, and objects

central persuasion

rational and based on evidence + logic

peripheral persuasion

appealing to desires and emotions

foot in door

tendency for people who agree to a small request to over time comply for larger request
(can i borrow —> can i keep it?)

door in face

following extravagant request with a reasonable one so subject complies
(can i get a lambo —> can i get ice cream?)

phillip zimbardo

Stanford prison role playing: measured changing in ones’ behavior to assume or act out an adopted role

leon festinger

measured cognitive dissonance; lying is bad but we still do it

cognitive dissonance

when we become aware that our attitudes and actions clash by changing our attitudes
ex: lying is bad, but I still lie

social norm

understood (unwritten) rules for acceptable behaviors

normative social influence

peer pressure and influence from a person’s desire for approval

informational social influence

believing the group possesses competent and correct info, especially in ambiguous situations/tasks

social trap

desires of the individual over the good of the group, eventually causing harm to all (overfishing)

stanley milgram

explored the effects of authority on obedience through the voltage test

results: obedience is complying with an order/authority
- 65% of participants obeyed to highest level of lethal shock

solomon asch

looked into group influences and the concept of conformity, where matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are driven by the desire for acceptance

social facilitation

improved performance on a task in the presence of others (better at running when you’re racing)

social loafing

tendency for people in a group to put less effort than when working individually (group project)

deindividualization

loss of self-awareness and restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
aka mob mentality

group polarization

enhances group’s prevailing attitudes through discussion; a person shifts to extreme opinion when in group

groupthink

occurs when desire for harmony in critical decision-making situation overrides the possible alternatives

reciprocity norm

people should return favors and other acts of kindness

bystander effect

people are less likely to help others in need or in distress if more people are present

diffusion of responsibility

individuals in a group feel less personal accountability to act or make decisions because they assume others will intervene

robert zajonc

explored attraction and mere exposure effect

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to new stimuli increases one’s preference of that object

proximity

geographical nearness is powerful predictor of friendship

similarity

having similar views/thoughts between individuals causes bond to strengthen

physical

initial stages of a relationship as it “draws” you to someone

matching

states that people tend to form other committed relationships with those who are similar in attractiveness or status

passionate

an aroused state of intense longing for union with another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship

companionate

deep, intimate affectionate attachment where mutual concern exists for the welfare of the other

ingroup

people with whom one shares a common identity; “us”

outgroup

those perceived as different from one’s ingroup; “them”

just-world phenomenom

means of justifying inequalities, people “get what they deserve”

superordinate goals

shared goals that require cooperation between groups (common ground)

scapegoat theory

tendency to blame an innocent individual or group for causing negative experience